Michel Martelly: From a Skirt to a Tie

Mr. Martelly who is considered to be part of the elite, decided to come forward and fulfill his duty as a Haitian and declared himself runner for the presidency of Haiti in July 2010. Before this political aspiration, Mr. Martellly was a very popular musician. During his musical career Mr. Martelly under his adopted stage name “Sweet Micky” has portrayed himself as an unsophisticated individual to say the least. This very talented and self-taught Haitian musician is one of the most well known personalities in Haiti especially for his controversial behavior. His behavior on stage was not the only controversy in his life, his affiliation with certain past members of the Haitian government has raised some eyebrows in the Haitian community, such as the notorious Lt. Col. Michel Francois. Despite his wigs, his controversies, and his slurs in public, Michel has always proven to be a true Haitian, and a very concerned one for that matter. We believe that he loves Haiti.  However, now he is the commander in chief.  Is he up for the task? That’s the million dollar question.

We all have heard it before, where there is a will there is a way, this is true in some cases, but in the case of Mr. Martelly and the progress of Haiti, this does not hold much water. Without any reasonable doubt in my mind I have to say that Michel’s intention toward Haiti is well guided by his passion for the people of this country. This has been showcased in one of his songs when he talked about the dysfunction of the government and our crippled economy, “mayi ak diri produit de luxe nan yon peyi pendant yon pep chita la l’ap peri.” He never once denied Haiti and we know that he does not shy away from expressing his opinion. However are his passion and his will adequate enough to bring change to Haiti? His limited experience and education gave me reason to be skeptical about the future of the country. If we take a rather quick look at Mr. Martelly’s short and unimposing education, with all do respect, we can see clearly he does not have much to show for. After graduating at Saint-Louis de Gonzague one of the most prestigious high schools in the region, he went to the Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado for one mere semester before returning to Haiti to pursue his musical career. Some might dare to say it is unfair to pass judgment on our new elected president sole based on his education.  What I would say to those people is that, Michel’s education is not the only thing that incapacitates our new president, when he comes to the governance of this devastating country which has been sucked dried to the bones by animals such as Rene G. Preval, Jean Bertrand Aristide, and last but not least our most recent dictator Baby Doc.  The subsequent lost of several of Mr. Martelly’s estates through mortgage default also gave me great reason to be worried. Like many of you I want to be optimistic, I want to believe that tomorrow will be better.

Where do we go from now?

We surely cannot ignore the complexity of the political, economical, and social condition Haiti is in now. No one should be naïve and expect everything to change in a blink of an eye. Haitians showed time and again through many of their actions a lack of patience.  Sometimes I ask myself if it is not due to our politicians downplaying the intricacy of pulling this country out of this situation. We need to see the reality in front of us and it will be an uphill battle against our corrupted politicians, against a broken judicial system, and against hunger. We cannot afford to be a bystander “fok tout moun mete men noun nan pat.” I must say I admire the optimism of Mr. Martelly when he said “we are going to work together for change.” I don’t know how much time and how much sacrifice it will take for us to push aside our corrupted leaders who are so eager to fulfill the head of the innocent people with so many lies. They come in so many forms, in the form of teachers, pastors and even priest

 One thing for certain we need to work on our differences no matter what it takes, we have to for the betterment of tomorrow. Our newly elected president is going to need the help of each and every one of us no matter how small or how pathetic we might think it might be. In the political scene Mr. Martelly is an outsider and his political skills are practically non-existent to say the least.  He went in a matter of a few months from a skirt to a tie. We need that fraternity and that unity that our ancestors once had for the sake of this country. According to the New York Times, Mr. Laurent Dubois a professor of French studies and a Haiti scholar at Duke University said as best it could be said “He (Mr. Martelly) is entering a particular complex, multifaceted, and contorted political landscape.” We need to move with cautious, should we succeed our president would have to surround himself with very competent people that can be a foil for his passion he has claimed for Haiti. He has to realize what is at stake, the life of millions of Haitians. 

Schlegel Pierre.